Five females from the BTCC's past

With the news that Jade Edwards becomes the BTCC's first female driver for a decade, we look at some of the ladies to have previous raced in the championship.

1. Fiona Leggate - 59 race starts, 15 points

Fiona made her BTCC debut halfway through the 2005 season, bringing a green message to the BTCC in a car that ran on bio-ethanol.

She returned for two more seasons, but with decreasing competitiveness in ageing cars. Her best result was fifth at Silverstone in her first season.

2. Louise Aitken-Walker - 12 race starts, 72 points

Better known as a rally driver, Louise competed in the BTCC for a single season: 1989. As team-mate to eventual champion John Cleland she finished the season second in class and fifth overall, with 11 podium finishes in the Vauxhall Cavalier.

3. Annie Templeton - 44 race starts, 47 points

Another driver with an off-road background, Annie was a renowned trials driver in the eighties and nineties before switching to circuit racing in the MGF Cup.

She made her BTCC debut in the production class in 2001, and completed two seasons in the Tech-Speed Peugeot.

4. Nettan Lindgren-Jansson - 22 races starts, 95 points

Having raced single-seaters in her native Sweden, Nettan switched to tin-tops and specifically BMWs when she made her debut in the BTCC in 1989. The following year she took her first and only race win, but she is best remembered for her reaction to being taken out of 1991's Snetterton race by Jonathan Palmer.

5. Paula Cook - 20 race starts, 3 points

At some point between 1994 and 2004 Paula raced in virtually every championship in Britain. From Formula Renault to the Porsche Cup, if it had four wheels and an engine, Paula would have a go.

1999 was her season for the British Touring Car Championship, and in a year otherwise dominated by Matt Neal, Paula took an independent class win at Silverstone.